Sam Parham, Jo Cecil and Catherine Oborne of the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team urge the undecided to vote yes in the Criminal Bar Association ballot.
If not now, when?
This is for all of those who are undecided.
For all those who are wavering about whether or not there might be a better time, or a better issue.
There will never be the perfect time to take direct action.
But we have the momentum now.
Solicitors are already taking direct action. Two major cities, Liverpool and Manchester, are already out on no returns. Dual contracts have not yet come in. We have the prospect of unified withdrawals of tenders.
We have the potential for real unity of action across the profession: solicitors and barristers.
For those who say we should continue only to negotiate with Gove: What power will we have at the negotiating table if we are unable to unify now?
Our demands will be easily brushed aside because the government will know that it will be impossible for us to unify with solicitors to take meaningful action in future. Divide and rule will have won.
Try to imagine the better time, the better issue, the better question, and then imagine whether there’ll be a Criminal Bar that survives to see that day.
We must act now. Please vote yes.
This was originally posted on the Criminal Bar Association blog. Sam Parham, Jo Cecil and Catherine Oborne are members of the Garden Court Chambers Crime Team.
